The increasing demand for improved optical networking communications can motivate advancements in network switching technology. Many conventional optical switching techniques may first convert the optical signal to an electronic format, and then may switch the electronic signal using conventional electronic switching circuits. After the switching function is performed, the electronic signal may then be converted back into and optical format. In order to reduce complexity, cost, and improve performance, it may be desirable to utilize optical switches which can directly perform switching entirely within the optical domain without involving such conversions.
Conventional optical switches may be realized by attaching the optical fiber to a macroscopic switchable mechanism. In one area of endeavor, macro-switching devices may be utilized to perform direct optical switching. These devices may attach additional elements to switching waveguides (such as, for example, optical fibers) to effect switching. These additional elements can potentially impact miniaturization and operating characteristics of the switching devices.
Optical switches may also be realized by using Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) techniques. Some MEMS optical switches may use micro-mirror arrays to redirect light received from optical fibers to perform switching. While the micro-mirror array may consist of tiny mirrors having sizes down in the micrometer scale, the configuration of the micro-mirror array may utilize large comb drives and other infrastructure which may substantially increase the overall complexity and size of the device. Additionally, because MEMS micro-mirror arrays typically utilize switching through free space using at least one optical reflection, minimization of overall device size may be an issue, and physical attributes, such as pop-up and alignment angles, may have to be calibrated using tight tolerances which can concern some regarding yield and reliability. Such complexities of MEMS micro-mirror arrays could potentially affect the reliability of the overall switching device and may increase the cost of device fabrication. Moreover, to facilitate mirror movement for signal switching, MEMS micro-mirrors may typically be thin, which can limit the amount of signal power that can be switched without altering the performance or damaging the device.